Jimcalagon Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Not content with deciding to remove the crossing patrol in Ballaugh, I see the DOT is looking to remove one in Onchan as well - Manx Radio article And I note Jimbms hasn't come back about the crossing patrol being removed in Ballaugh. I did get off my arse - I sent the following letter to the responsible person at the DOT (that's assuming anyone there takes responsibility for anything) Dear Mr. Edwards,As a parent of a pupil at Ballaugh School, I was dismayed to learn that you are planning to discontinue the current post of School Crossing Patrol on Station Road due to it apparently not having enough through traffic to fulfil the required criteria. Unfortunately your letter to the school did not give actual figures to justify your decision. I have been trying to find out what the exact criteria to justify a School Crossing Patrol are but have not been successful which leaves me with the following queries: 1. What is the volume of traffic required to justify a School Crossing Patrol? 2. What is the measured volume of traffic for the crossing outside Ballaugh School? 3. When the figures were collected (date and time of day)? 4. How were the figures collected? I find it puzzling that the DOT must have, at some point in the past, decided that the amount of traffic along Station Road justified the appointment of a School Crossing attendant yet now it doesn't. From this I presume that one of the following must then be true: • Either - the original decision to appoint a School Crossing Patrol was taken without any investigation into the traffic outside the school • Or - the criteria have changed since the original decision • Or - the amount of traffic outside the school has decreased. Also, I understand that your proposal is to install 20mph speed limit signs outside the school - I presume that these will be part-time illuminated signs similar to those currently in operation outside other schools, such as Kirk Michael and Braddan…? In my experience, a significant number of drivers on Station Road, especially coming from the national speed limit section of road from Jurby, don't obey the current 30 mph limit. Do you have any evidence to suggest that they will obey a 20mph limit? Do you plan to put any other measures in place to enforce the limit - e.g. occasional Police speed traps as seen in Braddan and Kirk Michael or other traffic calming measures? Also I find it strange that this comes at a time when the DOT seem to be mounting a high profile campaign in the media to highlight the dangers of motorists speeding outside schools, particularly in regard to motorists who do not stop at designated crossings. I feel that the removal of the school crossing attendant outside Ballaugh School makes an accident outside the school more likely, not less. I await your response with interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 the national speed limit section of road from Jurby... has the north declared udi ? or is this the derestricted section ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimcalagon Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 the national speed limit section of road from Jurby... has the north declared udi ? or is this the derestricted section ? I refer to the section of road with the national speed limit signs - which of course, on the isle of man, means drive like a fucking lunatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terse Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 They are not national speed limit signs in the IoM. That is a UK invention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbms Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 They are not national speed limit signs in the IoM. That is a UK invention. That sign is No.670 in the TSRGD which states it as national speed linit applies, so ironic as it is, the fact we have no speed limit would make the sign invalid meaning you cannot be prosecuted for speeding in that zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimcalagon Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I thought it was 671? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbie Bobster Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I refer to the section of road with the national speed limit signs - <nice pic> which of course, on the isle of man, means drive like a fucking lunatic. Allegdely referred to as the GLF sign in the UK... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbms Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I thought it was 671? I stand corrected sorry 670 is the standard speed roundel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grant Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 It does seem that drivers are more prone to not stopping for crossing attendants as readily as they do for red lights at crossings. There is a point worth making as to why that might be. (I'm not condoning this behaviour, just putting forward some facts. I drive from Ramsey to Kirk Michael each morning. Just before the Grammer School was a woman crossing attendant who caused chaos every day there. She could and did back the queue of traffic up, all the way to the lights at Parliament Square. She would stop the traffic for one child, even if others were approaching, she'd never wait so she had a little group before she stopped the traffic and frequently would walk back to the pavement, one car would go by and she'd be back out again. Even worse, if she spotted a person/s in the distance she'd step out, stop the traffic and beckon for them to run or hurry up. Like I wouldn't, they rarely would rush. Too make it all a bit worse, she would step out at any time frequently making drivers break sharply, often after they'd just started accelerating and she'd glare at the driver. Obviously not too bright but you have to wonder if she had received any training. This woman has been replaced with a crossing and traffic now flows great. There's very few queuing vehicles, you get through Parliament Square lights first change, every time. I don't arrive at work feeling grumpy and my blood pressure has returned to normal. It surprises me that not one DOT worker wasn't caught up on a daily basis, or that there wasn't any spot checks or assessments done, to end her chaos. However, thank you very much to whoever was responsible for binning her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I put it all down to yellow fever or what is now known as 'hi-vis fatigue syndrome'. There's only three of us left on the entire island that don't wear hi-vis, and, ironically, it is only us three that stand out anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grant Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 She'd even altered the angle of the peak, on her helmet so she looked like the SS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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